Page 26 of Best Kept Secret

He nodded, recalling that Kelsey had said something similar.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Emily said, studying him intently.

He nodded, unsurprised by her ability to read him. “There’s this woman…”

“Of course there is,” she teased. “But go ahead.”

“Her name is Kelsey, and she’s Jared’s sister.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Exactly.”

“Did something happen between you?”

“Not yet, but I want it to.”

Annie reached for the toy Emily was dangling in front of her and made a cooing sound.

“Does she know about Annie?”

“Yes and no.” He took a deep breath, preparing himself for her reaction. “She met Annie, but she thinks you’re her mom.”

Emily’s eyes bulged, and she gaped at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

He slowly shook his head.

“Why? Why on earth would you say that?”

“I wasn’t ready to tell her the truth, and yours was the first name that popped into my head.”

Annie started fussing as if she too was aghast at his deception. Her cries gave him a temporary reprieve.

“Did you bring a bottle?” Emily asked.

“Of course.”

He dug the bottle out of the insulated bag and went into the kitchen to warm it up. Emily was right on his heels, as he knew she would be. As he heated the bottle, Emily held Annie close, and soon her cries stopped.

After testing the temperature of the formula on his wrist, they went back into the living room and sat down. Emily hadn’t relinquished her hold on his daughter, so he handed her the bottle and let her have the honors.

Once Annie was suckling contentedly, Emily continued their conversation where they’d left off. “So, you told Kelsey that Annie’s my child, and she believes you.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

Narrowing her eyes at him, Emily said, “Does she know how many women you’ve…been with?”

He shrugged and averted his eyes.

“Sorry, but I’m a bit shocked by this. I love Annie, but I’m not ready to be a mom, not even a pretend one.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything. I’m just telling you in case…”

“In case what?”

He nervously licked his lips. “She wants to meet you.”

“Oh no. Absolutely not.”